Well, Howdy! This week has been crazy! We had three Zone Conferences and SOO MUCH MORE! The "so much more part" I won't include in the email but just know we have been busy! A lot of driving in these last few days. I can't express how much I am learning here in the mission. I feel like I am living a mini life in 2 years! I am convinced that I could do nothing in these 2 years that could prepare me better for life than anything else on this earth. I truly believe that. Anyway, I am doing great! I love my time here on my mission. In our Zone Conferences, we still have 2 to go this week, we are watching "The Work of Salvation" Broadcast! That thing is incredible! I love the title, Notice how it is not "missionary work" In fact I am pretty sure they never use the term "missionary work" in the whole two hours! They use the term, "member missionary work" because "The Work of Salvation" is not the responsibility alone of the missionaries but of everyone who knows and loves this Gospel. So if you aren't inviting your friends are ANYONE else to listen to the missionaries DO IT! But I know you guys are doing that, sorry I always bug you about it, actually I am not sorry I bug you about it- it is the work of salvation! We've spent quite a time in the car with the Reeder's! They are amazing! They are strikingly similar to Mom and Dad! First off, President Reeder and Dad both went to BYU accounting at the same time, as far as I can figure right, and they both worked moving Soda Pop for a job while going to college, as far as my memory is correct. Sister Reeder loves Dorris Day and President loves John Wayne. They grew up just a town apart in the same stake, sound familiar? Sister Reeder is the loud one and President is the quieter one who describes himself as boring- is this not Gary and Kathleen!?! Anyway I have been laughing at all the similarities haha, there are more too I can't remember them right now. Anyway they are great people just like Mom and Dad! I have been a bit sick this last week, I think it is due to the lack of sleep and the driving we have had to do and the stress due to the "so much more part" I mentioned above haha. But I hadn't been feeling all that well. Sister Reeder told me that I was to "go home and go to bed." I told her, 'I will go home and go to bed. . . in 11 months." I can't even begin to describe how fast my mission is going! I can't go to bed on some day or I might miss something awesome on this mission! But when I do get home, I will be going to bed haha! I will sleep for like 3 days straight haha! The thought of going home makes me want to cry, I love you all a ton but I hope that "going home day" is far from now! I hope to become a more diligent missionary, President Reeder's stories from his mission are some really good examples of diligence, I want to be like that. This morning we were cleaning our apartment, we just switched apartments, and we changed the water filter- I think the picture can describe it better than I can haha. That thing was gross, but I have seen worse. When I was still new in the mission my batch, Elder Vaki, told me that their water tasted like blood. Then like 3 weeks later they changed the filter and that filter was WAY WORSE than the one you see Elder Datu (pogi) holding! Anyway I thought you guys would get a kick out of that one. If you were wondering why I was not feeling very well this week, this picture might hold part of the answer... After our Daet Zone Conference we got to go to Pambuhan for President to give a baptismal interview. That is where we took the pictures by the ocean- this place is in the middle of nowhere but it is beautiful! Not only is it beautiful but the members in that branch are so strong! Sister Reeder loved it there! She had the little kids sing, "I am a child of God" while she videoed them. They don't know English but they could sing every word of that song! They didn't have very much money, it was obvious, but as a typical best people in the world Pinoy they gave us food. There is not a nicer country in the world, to me. Sister Reeder said Heavenly Father was smiling while they sang and she was right- they are some cute little kiddos! Now, why is Elder Davis holding a tire with black stuff on his face you may ask? The answer comes from last night, we had a family home evening at a part member's home and it was awesome! But after the lesson we went out to the car and started to drive away, first off we are so spoiled to have a car but anyway, we started to drive away and there was an obvious problem haha. The car had a flat, completely flat haha. It was night time and raining a little and we had to change it. A member came and helped us a little bit but he was no mechanic haha- anyway we got it all fixed, but got a little dirty in the process. I enjoyed it though, I really miss that kind of work. We haven't had great luck with the car the past few weeks. Speaking of which, when I had to tell President about the fender bender I said, "President I have good news and I have bad news- let me tell you the good news first because it will also let you know the bad news." He said okay and then I said, "The good news is the accident wasn't very big- I think you can now guess what the bad news is." haha but he took it well and it's over now. We didn't get to teach very much this week do to all the mission business we had to take care of but it was still a great week. I cherish lessons now because we don't get to teach them very often. There is nothing like teaching the Gospel to God's children! But since we don't get to teach very much and we are always with president speaking English, plus we don't have much time for language study my Tagalog is plateauing haha. But that is okay, I am thankful for every word of Tagalog that comes out of my mouth. I love all of you. I miss you, but not too much haha. I know this Gospel is true. I have told you before and I will tell you again, I know it is true. If it wasn't i wouldn't be here. I don't understand everything in this Gospel, I don't know all the mysteries of God, but I do know he loves EVERYONE of us. I know this is his church and that he has called prophets in these are times. I know the message I share with others is his message and that we are his messengers. There is no doubt in my mind about that. This church is true, and living and real! The plan of salvation is happening, how blessed we are. May we do nothing of which we can't be proud. Elder Davis

Old filter, new filter. YIKES!

Travels to the out reaches of the mission.

Actually doing some 'work'